The 1970s

The largest-ever attendance record for a Derby event held at an indoor arena was set in 1971 when 19,507 people came out to Madison Square Garden. The following year, 50,118 people attended an interleague match between the Los Angeles Thunderbirds and the Midwest Pioneers in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Unfortunately, these numbers couldn’t be maintained…

Goodbye, Derby

In 1973, Jerry Seltzer shut down Roller Derby. A variety of factors caused Jerry to call it quits, including high overhead and gas shortages during the 1973 oil crisis, which made it impossible for teams to travel. Some star skaters were recruited for the Roller Games, but the league’s circus-like approach to Derby became the reason for its demise. Within a year, Roller Derby was done.